Friday, December 18, 2009

o sorry I haven't posted for nearly a month, it's been a hectic time for my little family as my husband was out of town for nearly 6 weeks due to work. He's back now, and we're STILL getting settled into married life - we've only been together for half of our 3 month marriage. Not quite used to it yet, but we're making progress!

I've been working hard the past few weeks on drafting my new dress blocks for Rockin' B. The old blocks I was using are completely outdated in regards to my sizing, so a new set is in the works. I am also taking this opportunity to re-draft my basic sleeve block and the armscye on each bodice. After reading Kathleen Fasanella's section on musculature and armscyes in her book, I decided it was high time that I updated my patterns. After trying out the new bodice muslin, complete with new armhole - I'm amazed. The armhole is so dainty, cut so well... it just MOLDS to the body. I'm amazed at the small size as well, it really allows for amazing freedom of movement. I had a really easy time implementing the armhole change! My new sleeve, however, is a different story...

Based on Kathleen's advice, I looked up the c. 1931 drafting book by Harry Simons called "Designing overcoat patterns for men and young men". Lucky lou you, I found a free downloadable PDF of the book at the Internet Archive - yes, it's legal! Mr. Simons's book is hard to find and expensive, so printing off a PDF copy and making a little binder of the book is a great solution. Working from the double-breasted coat and sleeve instructions, I am attempting to draft a suitable sleeve for myself. The great thing about H.S.'s drafts are the armholes - they are drafted the way they're supposed to be, and mine now resemble his quite closely. His sleeve draft therefore matches his correct armhole shape; I figure I can mimic his sleeve draft to come up with a solid block for my own use.

The draft of the sleeve hurts my brain. Literally, it does. I need to just keep pushing through and complete the draft, even if certain elements don't feel right. Over the past couple of years, I've discovered that just forging ahead through difficult patternmaking problems has always resulted in a positive outcome.

In other, more fun news - I'm interviewing/measuring two potential fit models tomorrow. Hopefully one of them will meet my needs, so I can move forward with my dress patterns. For now I'm going to keep working on my two new skirt patterns, as I don't really need a fit model for those.

Here's looking forward to a productive weekend, a productive holiday break, and a great new year! Happy Holidays to all of you, best wishes for safe travel and a fun time with your loved ones.

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About

I'm Miss (now Mrs.) Jess. I own, manage and design all the goodness that is Rockin' B Clothing. Sometimes I find the time to write about what's going on behind the scenes at the Rockin' B Ranch! Visit the Rockin' B Clothing website at www.rockinbclothing.com